07/11/2021
Today is Sunday, and to most of the Christian world it is considered the Sabbath, but to Jews, and some Christians, the Sabbath begins at sundown on Friday, and lasts until sundown on Saturday. Regardless of which way we honor it, this is a Holy day of rest, and sanctified as such by God. This is the only day of the week that God treats special, and that He has singled out in the commandments He gave Moses. So why then do so many of us routinely ignore this commandment, and how do we obey?
“So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.”
Genesis 2:3 ESV
We can argue the exact day to designate as the Sabbath, but what difference does that make when regardless of the day we choose, we keep on living our lives as if God had never given us a commandment regarding it? Do we obey God on our sabbath, or do we acknowledge Him at all?
“I am the Lord your God; walk in my statutes, and be careful to obey my rules, and keep my Sabbaths holy that they may be a sign between me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God.’”
Ezekiel 20:19-20 ESV
From the time I was born I was taught to attend church on Sunday, and so we would put on our nice clothes and go to church where we would attend Sunday school, sing hymns, and listen to a sermon, then we would come home eat a nice dinner before either going for a ride, or going about our lives by doing light work around the house. Were we honoring the Sabbath as it was commanded?
““Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”
Exodus 20:8-11 ESV
When I was a boy we had laws that were known as the blue laws, or Sunday laws, that prohibited businesses from opening on Sunday, but even these laws made exceptions for certain essential services. These laws were intended to promote religious activities, and worship, but even they took into account certain humanitarian, and religious, needs. Unlike the Hebrew laws governing the Sabbath they were much less strict, and followed more the teaching of Jesus who declared Himself to be the Lord of the Sabbath. Listen to what is written in each of the Synoptic Gospels…
“I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.””
Matthew 12:6-8 ESV
“And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.””
Mark 2:27-28 ESV
“And Jesus answered them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God and took and ate the bread of the Presence, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those with him?” And he said to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.””
Luke 6:3-5 ESV
The Sabbath is indeed a Holy day, and a day of rest, but it is not meant to be punitive. Jesus understood that this day was a recuperative day, and meant to be a gift. God saw the importance of rest, and was sharing it with man. Remember these words that Jesus spoke…
“And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”
Mark 2:27 ESV
So how do we reconcile the commandment given to Moses with what Jesus taught us as we live out our own lives? Well, we must listen to the Spirit as he speaks to us. We should prepare meals and eat, we should heal ourselves by going to the doctor, we should do those things that are relaxing and can be classified as rest… in other words, ask yourself” What would Jesus do?”
So looking back on how I was raised as a boy I remember that I dressed in my nice clothes to honor God. We went to church, so that in this way, as we praised and worshipped Him, we were keeping the Sabbath Holy. We would eat a nice dinner so that our bodies were restored. We might go for a ride to relax and bond as a family, and we might also do some light housework that was pleasurable, to prepare ourselves and our homes for the coming week. Then on Sunday evenings we did something I didn’t mention earlier… we gathered as a family around our television set to watch a wholesome show together (in our case it was ‘The Wonderful World of Disney’). Rest, and Holiness… these are the two keys to the Sabbath Commandment.
Holiness:
“And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read.”
Luke 4:16 ESV
And Rest:
“Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments. On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.”
Luke 23:56 ESV
The Jews had very detailed and strict laws governing the observance of the Sabbath because they feared God, and we too should fear Him as we listen to His spirit speaking to us. If we are contemplating something we want to do on the Sabbath, and it doesn’t feel right to us then by all means listen to what the Spirit is telling you.
“So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”
James 4:17 ESV
Holiness, and rest… are we honoring God by obeying His commandment concerning this gift He has given us? Paul obeyed by imitating Jesus…
“Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.”
1 Corinthians 11:1 ESV
Prayer:
Father, thank you for the Sabbath which you have given us as a restorative gift for our body, mind, and spirit. Thank you for the rest it provides, and the time in which we can worship you and seek to be holy. Thank you for your Son Jesus who you sent as the Lord of the Sabbath to teach us about its observance and mysteries. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who gives us rest, peace, tranquility, and holiness to strengthen us body and soul. Praised be your name for the Sabbath as we imitate you in rest, and honor your Holiness. Have mercy on us Holy Father as we strive to keep your Sabbath as we should. Witness our fear of you as we are careful in discerning how our Sabbath should be observed, and your commandment thus obeyed. Help us Holy Spirit to understand and follow the teachings of Jesus, our Lord of the Sabbath, who instructs us in how to obey God regarding this most Holy Day. Wash us clean of our sins in Christ’s blood, cleansing even those we have committed unknowingly regarding the Sabbath, and in this way help us to sin no more. Lord God see only the face of Christ when you look on us in judgement, snd seat us at your table forevermore.
“Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it.”
Hebrews 4:1 ESV
Rich Forbes